Updated July 28, 2026 at 5:06 PM CDT
BANGOR, Maine — It didn't take long after Graham Platner announced his run for U.S. Senate last summer before Dustin Cyr started seeing signs pop up everywhere.
"Even in areas of the state that would be more conservative, I think they were rooting for a hometown guy," he said.
Cyr lives in Bangor, a Democratic-leaning city, but travels for work into more central areas of the state that voted for President Trump.
"[Platner] seemed to be coming from a place of the average person trying to make change," said Cyr.
Today, the Maine Senate race looks radically different. Platner ended his high-profile bid earlier this month after being accused of rape by a woman he previously dated. He denied the allegation.
Platner's exit left his supporters, like Cyr, who were drawn to his anti-establishment, populist message, wondering what's next.
"It seemed like a good opportunity, and then it just crashed and burned," he said.
With less than 100 days until Election Day, Maine Democrats have a new candidate in former state Senate President Troy Jackson. The fifth-generation logger and progressive ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will face off against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall in one of the most politically consequential races of the midterms.
The stakes are high. Democrats need to net four seats to retake a majority in the Senate next year. Many party officials see flipping Maine's seat as a key to the effort, as Collins is the only GOP senator up for reelection who represents a state that Kamala Harris carried in 2024.
A short runway
Jackson doesn't have much time to convince Maine voters to give him a shot. And at a moment when he needs to rally the state's Democratic base, he faces the challenge of energizing a group of voters who feel stung by the implosion of the Platner campaign, which had already grown tired of longtime Democratic leaders.
"I feel like candidates that are more progressive have a difficult time succeeding and don't get the backing from the Democratic leadership that they should," said voter Lynn Heasley, of Belfast, Maine. "Those are the people that are going to win. Those are the people that speak to the people. And I think the Democratic Party … has forgotten that."
Heasley, who volunteered for Platner's campaign, says she plans to vote for Jackson, but admits he's a different type of messenger.
"He's not this charismatic — you know — he's not this great speaker," she said. "His heart is in the right place. And I feel that he will hold true to what he's saying he wants to do. I mean, to try."
Whether Jackson can capture and build on the energy Platner garnered is an open question. It's a concern he tried to address in Bangor this past weekend after winning his party nomination.
"There are people that are still very frustrated, you know, angry about what happened. And I understand that," he told reporters, saying he knows there are differences between him and Platner.
"I'm not a show horse. I'm a workhorse. And I have a record to back that up," he added, emphasizing his support for key populist issues Platner also ran on — from Medicare for All and bolstering workers' rights, to raising taxes on corporations and the billionaire class.
He also carries Platner's anti-establishment message. If elected, he's pledged not to support New York Sen. Chuck Schumer as Democratic majority leader, in line with other leftist candidates this cycle who have chosen to publicly break with the Congressional leaders.
That focus resonates with voters who see party leaders as unwilling to back more ambitious economic policies and scrap longtime political norms. Many of these voters have called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and rejecting donations from corporate PACs and special interest groups.
"I think if the Democratic Party wants to remain a party, they need to accept the fact that we're moving towards a more progressive platform and that we don't want centrists," said Lincoln Tiner, a delegate who backed Jackson at the convention on Saturday. "We don't want people who capitulate, and we don't want folks who are bought and sold by PAC money, especially AIPAC," referring to the pro-Israel lobbying group.
"We need someone like Troy representing us because he gets us," he said.
"I definitely trust him," he added. "I don't trust the regular Democratic establishment of the Democratic Party to do right by the people."
Jackson's balancing act
But if Jackson wants to oust Collins in November, he will need to energize the base while not alienating independents and moderates. With affordability top of mind for many voters, the race could come down to the candidate voters see as having a better message on costs.
Over in the state's capital of Augusta, at a local coffee shop, Sam Wiswell says he's looking for a Democratic candidate who can actually make Maine more affordable.
"Just giving Maine back to Mainers, I've definitely watched it change," said Wiswell, who calls himself an independent who usually votes left, and says he doesn't like "pretty much any politicians on both sides."
The state is nicknamed "Vacationland," and though Wiswell says out-of-towners are welcome, tourism has also driven up prices. One example: his childhood home.
"We bought the land for $37,000 – little tiny house I grew up on – It's now almost $1 million," he said, adding that all others around it are empty for parts of the year, as they've become second homes.
"People that I've talked to – I have friends on both sides of the political spectrum – are really just looking for someone who wants to actually change, and change Maine."
Copyright 2026 NPR
